Migrants and Trade Unions in South Africa Today

bibliographic database
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Periodical article

Title:	Migrants and Trade Unions in South Africa Today
Author:	Southall, Roger J.
Year:	1986
Periodical:	Canadian Journal of African Studies
Volume:	20
Issue:	2
Pages:	161-185
Language:	English
Geographic term:	South Africa
Subjects:	migrants labour migration trade unions Labor and Employment Urbanization and Migration Economics and Trade
External link:	https://www.jstor.org/stable/484869
Abstract:	It is generally accepted that trade union principles do not easily take root among migrants. Even radical analysts assume that migrancy necessarily inhibits worker resistance and consciousness. Recent experience, however, indicates that migrants are, in fact, as eager participants in trade union activity as other workers and not necessarily less effective. This article affirms this for the South African case and shows that much of the current analytical confusion exists because migrants cannot be stereotyped. Distinguishing between commuters, homeland migrants in mining, non-migrant rural workers, homeland migrants in agriculture and foreign migrants, it addresses three key issues: 1) the space which is available to progressive unions to organize migrants within the framework of the compound and hostel systems; 2) the extent to which migrant engagement in union and/or labour action is premised upon nonmigrant support; and 3) the relationship between migrant membership and union strategy. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. in French.